Poneglyph

The nine of them entered the classroom one after another.

There were already around a hundred people inside, gathered in small groups, sitting or standing. Some chatted and laughed, while others wore unfriendly expressions.

The moment they had found their footing, a small figure flew over and latched onto Sasuke's back.

"Why are you so late, Sasuke? I've been waiting for you forever." Ino clung to Sasuke's back as she acted cute, glaring provocatively at Sakura.

It was as though Electric Current crackled between the two girls' gazes.

Sakura stepped forward and grabbed Ino's arm. "Let go of Sasuke!"

"No!" Ino hugged him even tighter.

"Let go already!" Veins bulged on Sakura's forehead.

"I won't, nyah!" Ino stuck out her tongue and made a face.

Sasuke frowned and broke free from the two girls' encirclement.

Ino did not cling to Sasuke again. Instead, she stayed where she was and continued bickering with Sakura.

It made Naruto wonder whether Ino's real purpose in pursuing Sasuke was to attract Sakura Bro's attention.

Shikamaru and Choji had also come over. Everyone in the room was either an experienced Genin or Genin from other villages, making the three rookies tremble in fear.

"You finally made it. This kind of exam is such a pain," Shikamaru complained.

Choji kept eating while offering his bag of chips to Naruto. "Want some?"

"No, thanks." Naruto was deeply touched. It seemed Choji truly considered him a friend. Not just anyone could get someone from the Akimichi Clan to willingly share food.

Naruto rummaged through the Scroll he had brought and pulled out a large bag of snacks, handing it to Choji. Ever since the Land of Waves mission, Naruto had always carried food, water, and various daily necessities with him.

"Oh, awesome, Naruto!" Choji hugged the bag of snacks, overjoyed. He had nearly finished all the food he had brought with him.

Naruto observed the examinees in the classroom. Konoha had the most people, with the Sand Village second. Yet aside from Gaara's three-man team, they were basically all nobodies.

"Heh~ All the rookie Genin from this class actually came to take the exam?"

Tenten said in surprise, "But your luck isn't very good. This exam is anything but ordinary."

After Sakura and Ino had argued themselves out, they heard Tenten's words and raised their hands to ask, "Um... what do you mean, anything but ordinary?"

Tenten was a qualified commentator and answered:

"This year's Chunin Exams have more participants than any previous year, which means they'll be more difficult. For rookies like you, you really should have trained for a while longer."

Perhaps because Neji had grown close to these Genin due to Hinata, Tenten was happy to share some information.

"Since rookies usually mean inexperience, you'll probably be targeted right from the start."

Sakura and Ino were somewhat uneasy, while Hinata quietly encouraged herself.

Kiba, on the other hand, was brimming with confidence. "That's exactly what I want!"

Akamaru: "Woof!"

"What a pain." Shikamaru looked up at the ceiling, thinking he might as well find an opportunity to withdraw.

Choji kept eating. What did information matter compared to food?

Sasuke seemed to agree with Kiba. He stood beside Naruto, putting on a cool pose.

I'm not targeting anyone. I'm saying everyone here is trash. Just as Naruto considered using that line to mock Sasuke for showing off, a cloud of smoke exploded on the platform.

Ibiki Morino, dressed in a long black coat, made a flashy entrance with a group of proctors. "Quiet, you bunch of losers!"

"The first test officially begins. I am the chief examiner for this test, Ibiki Morino.

"Submit your applications, collect your number tags, and take your seats according to your numbers."

The examinees did as instructed, lining up to submit their applications and collect their number tags one by one.

Naruto held his own number tag and looked at Hinata's again. What is this supposed to be? I'm standing in line, holding a number tag of love?

Their seats were next to each other. Naruto seriously suspected Kushina had threatened Ibiki Morino and made him rig things behind the scenes.

Once all the examinees had taken their seats according to their numbers, Ibiki began explaining the rules.

"Rule one: everyone starts with ten points. There are ten questions in total, and the system is based on deductions. One point will be deducted for every wrong answer or unanswered question."

"Rule two: the total score will be calculated by team."

"The most important rule is this: if you cheat during the exam, or if the proctors suspect you of cheating, two points will be deducted every time you are caught."

"If you want to become Chunin, then take this exam like an excellent ninja."

"If one person in a three-man team receives zero points, the entire team will be disqualified.

"Also, I will give you the final question forty-five minutes after the exam begins.

"The exam lasts one hour. Begin now."

The examinees opened their test papers. Sakura was full of confidence. As an academic genius, she believed no written test could stump her. Sasuke and Naruto had also been excellent students at the Academy, so this exam was surely in the bag.

Then Sakura began writing furiously, still full of confidence. She finished all nine questions very quickly, even faster than the two Chunin who had been arranged beforehand and already knew the answers.

Sakura looked up, only to discover that many people were still frozen in place, not moving at all. Startled, she lowered her head and looked over the paper again, suddenly realizing that this did not seem like something Genin were supposed to know...

Naruto was also studying the test paper.

Question one: a cipher. Naruto examined it closely. The symbols were neat and square, but they were neither Chinese characters nor the Shinobi World's common language. They looked somewhat like the Poneglyphs from One Piece. Well... should he summon Nico Robin to answer it?

Question two: the diagram shows Ninja A's Shuriken at its maximum range, with trajectory B reaching a tree seven meters high. State the characteristics of enemy ninja who would appear within the Shuriken's range, the maximum range in level-ground combat, and provide the basis for your answer.

What kind of lunatic wrote this? Since when did anyone think about that while throwing a Shuriken? Didn't they just throw it however they wanted?

He went through the questions one by one.

Question eight even involved a series of chemical reactions concerning aromatic compounds.

Naruto put down his pen. Sorry, all you academically gifted reincarnators. I've disgraced you. I can't answer a single question.

Sasuke was in much the same situation as Naruto. However, he recalled what Ibiki had said before the exam began: "Take this exam like an excellent ninja." That meant they had to cheat cleverly with Ninjutsu. Sasuke activated his Sharingan, copied other people's arm movements, and wrote down the answers.

The Uchiha-brand handwritten printer could even perfectly imitate handwriting. The best choice for doing someone else's homework—you deserve one.

As for the others, some had X-Ray Vision, some used insects to pass information, and some were fluent in dog language, letting the dogs on their heads look at the answers... There was every trick imaginable.